Elevator mechanism



C. W. HERRIN ELEVATOR MECHANISM Feb. 21, 192s. 1,660,305

Filed Feb. l. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/l'I/lil Ill/III I CizarZes W'Hernim, WiZneSs Patented Feb. 21, 1928.

UNITEDTSTATE-S ATENT.OFFICE.

CHARLES HEREIN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

ELEVATOR MECHANISM.

Application filed February My invention relates toimprovements in elevatorv mechanism for use in connection with the drilling apparatus disclosed by my copending application filed July 6, 1926 Serial No. 41,660. The present invention is for the purpose of raising and lowering the sleeve carrying the bits disclosed by said co pending application.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will now be had to the accompanying. drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section of'the apparatus with the sleeve being lowered by the elevator mechanism to active position upon the drill stem.

Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section, of the elevator apparatus ready to release the sleeve from active engagement with the drill stem, so that said sleeve may be lifted to the surface with the bits. 1

Fig. 3 is a view somewhat similar to Fig. 2, with the lower portion of the drilling mechanism broken away and the elevator mechanism adjusted to lift the sleeve and the bits, to the surface.

Fig. elis an enlarged vertical section of the elevator mechanism being lowered upon the drill stem preparatory to lifting the sleeve and the bits from the well.

Fig. 5 shows the parts disclosed by Fig. 1 in the position .which they assume after the sleeve and the bits have been lowered to active position and the elevator mechanism is ready to be lifted from the well.

Fig. 6 is a cross section on line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a nut forming a part of the elevator mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of an internal nut which is adjustable in the nutdisclosed by Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a tubular dog-- carrying member which cooperates with the nuts disclosed by Figs. 7 and 8. I

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the parts disclosed by Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a detail elevation of a plunger constituting a portion of the elevator mech-. anism. i

Fig. 12 is a detail-side elevation of a tubular element, which in practice is mounted in the 11 per end of the sleeve. 4 i I Reerring now in detail to the various parts, 2 designates the rotary drill stem which is made up of sections united by couplings 4, said sections being added from 1, 1926. Serial No. 85,255.

timeto time as the depth the well is creased by the drilling mechanism.

end of thedrill stem 2 for the purpose of locking the bits 14: in active position asshown by Fig. 2. As the construction and operation of the drilling mechanism is the same as that disclosed by my jcopending application hereinbefore referred to, I do not deem it necessary to enter into a detaildescription of the bits Li and the chuck 82,

or the manner in which they'interlock and are unlocked fromeach other.

The upper portion of the sleeve 6 is provided with a plurality of pivotally mounted internal dogs 54: adapted to engage a peripheral shoulder 56 formed on the drill stem 2 by cutting therein a tapered annular recess 58. Y i

The upper end of the sleeve 6 has a removable cap 60 with an axial bore in which a tubular element 62 has a slidable lit. The lower end of the tubular element 62' is provided with an annular clamp 64 adapted to engage over the upper ends of the dogs 54:,

Fig. 2, to hold them in engagement with the shoulder 56 and thereby prevent the sleeve 6 from moving upwardly on the drill stem 2 when the apparatus is in drilling position. i The upper portion of the tubular element 62 is provided with spaced collars 66. and 68 H for engagement by dogs 70 forming .part of the elevator mechanism 73. The dogs 70 are pivotally mounted on a ring 72 slidably "mounted within a tubular jacket 7. L Inde pendent downward movement ofthe ring 72 islimit-ed by a pm 76, which projects inwardly from the acket 74: into a peripheral groove 7 8 in said ring.

The upper portion of the ring 72- is reduced to slidably fit within the lower por tion of a nut 82, the sliding-movement being restricted by a pin 84 projecting from the ring 72 into a slot 86 withinsaid nut 82.

The nut 82 has a sliding fit in the jacket 74 and is provided at its lower margin with recesses'88 to receive the upper ends of the dogs 70. when in the position disclosed by,

- The upper POItlOll o1 equipped with a tubular head 120 which is Figs. "1 and 4:. The nut 82 has threaded therein an internal nut 90, which when adjusted upwardly permits the upper ends of the dogs 70 to pass inside oi. said nut 82 and be locked thereby in inactive position as disclosed by Fig. 5.

and having an axial bore through whichthe plunger 92 slidably extends. V the plunger 92 1s slidably mounted upon said plunger, but prevented from rotatmg thereon by agroove and feather connection The upper end of the plunger 92 has a peripheral collarl24= adapted to contact an internal shoulder 126 within the head 120and thus prevent the latter from slipping upwardly off of the former. The collar 124: isprovided with three,

or any other suitable number, of pivotally. mounted detents 128 having tapered upper ends 130 adapted to Contact an annular beveled shoulder 132 within the upperportion 'tera projection on the wall of t of the head 120. The lower ends of the detents 128 are tapered as indicated at 134 for contacting an annular tapered shoulder 130 within the lower portion of the head 120. The upper end of the head 120 is provided wit eyes 100 to which the lower ends of a cable 103 are attached for the purpose of raising and lowering the elevator mechanism The cable 103 may be controlled from the surface in the customary manner. Should the elevator mechanism or the drilling mechanism while being lowered encounhe well that would check their downward movement, the elevator mechanism and the drilling mechanism can be forced downwardly by lowering the drill stem 2 until one of the couplings t engages the upper ends of the detents 128 which are forced into the path of said coupling 4- by the shoulder 132, which moves downwardly with the head 120 as the cable 103becomes slack due to the, descent of the drilling mechanism or the elevatorrmechanism being checked by said obstruction. Downward pressure may then be exerted upon thedrill stem 2 until the obstruction is dislodged, whereupon downward move ment of the plunger 92 while the head 120 is supported by thecable'103, will carry the tapered lowerends otthe detents 128 into contact with the shoulder 186 andthus dis engage saiddetents 128 from the coupling 4-,

In practice whenstarting to drill a well the drill stem 2 isequipped with the sleeve 6' and the bits 14, the elevator mechanism being omitted. -As the drilling progresses and the bits l l-become dull and require sharpening, they, with the sleeve 6, are lifted to the suri ace by the elevator mechanism 73 which is lowered with the drill stem 2 for that purpos Before lowerinrr the "elevator n'iechanism the nut 82 is adjusted upwardly so that the upperends of: the recesses 88 will just clear the upper ends or the dogs 70, Figs, 1 and l, leaving the same tomovc freely on their pivots 71. The internal nut- 90 is then adjusted to its lowermost position against the top of the ring 72 by rotating,

the plunger' QQ, 'to prevent the nut82 from dropping behind upper endsol' the dog's Y0 and locking them ininac'tive position as shown by Fig. After the foregoing adjustments have been made the elevator mechanism 73 is lowered with the cable 108 until the jacket 74: rests upon the cap 60, which is a signal to the worlnnen that the elevator mechanism is ready to be lifted to the sun face. As the elevator mechanism 73 is lifted with the dogs resting on the beveled flange 75at the lower end of the aclret 74, J

said flange forces the lower ends ofsaid dogs 70 into engagement with the under side of the collarliG, Fig. 2, of the tub lar element 62, which, on being lifted by the dogs 70, lifts the sleeve 6 through the intermediacy of the clamp 6 L which is lifted into engagement with the underside of the cap 60, Fig. The upward movement of the clamp fil frees the dogs 5st so that they can slide outof engagement withthe beveled shoulder 56 to the position shown bylli 3x71, asthe sleeve 0 moves upwzndly with the elevator, l11Cl1- anism 73. i l are removed from the sleeve 0 andresharpened or replaced by others;

Preparatory to again loweriug the sleeve (3 and the bits 14 to drillingposition, the tubularelement 62 is raised until the bottom On reachinggthe surface the bits 1 of the collar 68 passes above the hook vends 177 of the dogs 70, which are forced upwar lly and backwardly out ofthe way tothe posiof said dogs 70. After the collar 68 passes above the hoolrends 77 the dogs 70 more downwardly by the force of gravity 1 an d the beveled flange 75 forces the hook ends 77- against the tubular "elementf62 at .a point beneath the :collar 68, the jacket 74 being supported by its cap-98 restiug 'upon thecol lar 96 of the plunger 92 asxshown iby Figs.

land 4; Theinternal nut:9.0 isithenscrewed flange "88 at the upper endot the 31 i 82,

upwardly until it contacts with. the internal use by rotating the jacket 74. while the plunger 92 is held stationary. The cable 103 is then lowered with the elevator mechanism 73, .tlie sleeve 6 and the bits 14, until the latter are properly positioned in the" chuck 32. The drill stem 2 with the sleeve 6' and the elevator mechanism 73, are then simultaneously lowered until the bits 14 rest upon and are supported by the bottom of the well. The tubular element .62 and the elevator mechanism 73 continue their downward movement, permitting the beveled lower ends of the dogs to engage the beveled upper reduced terminal 61 of the cap 60 which throws said dogs 70 out of engagement with the collar 68, as shown by Fig. 5. Just as the dogs 70 are'disengaged from the collar 68 the jacket 74, which has-an opening 79 in its lower end to receive the terminal 61, comes to rest upon the cap 60, while the plunger 92 continues its downward movement, causing its lower end to contact the collar 66 and push the tubular element- 62 downwardly until its annular clamp 64L engages over the dogs 54 to hold them in locked engagement with the shoulder 56. As the plunger 92 forces the tubular element 62 downwardly the diametrically re duced portion 97 of the collar 96 impinges against the upper end of the internal nut 90, forcing the same downwardly so that it in turn will carry the nut 82 downwardly be-" hind the upper ends of the dogs 70 and thus lock said dogs in the inactive position disclosed by Fig. 5. The elevator mechanism 78 is now ready to be lifted to the surfacewithout the sleeve 6 as the dogs 70 are held in position by the nut 82 to clear the collars 66 and 68.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, it is apparent that I have provided an apparatus embodying the advantages above pointed out, and while I have shown and described the preferred construction, combination and arrangement of parts, I reserve the right to all such modifications thereof as properly fall within the spirit and scope of the invenion as claimed. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is:

1 In an elevator mechanism of the class described, a dog for raising and lowering drilling mechanism, a ring movable over the drill stem and upon which said doe, is freely mounted, a jacket slidable longitudinally upon said ring and provided with bevel means for adjusting said dog to active position preparatory to raising said drilling mechanism, and means connected to said jacket for raising and lowering the latter,

2. In an elevator mechanism of the class described, a dog for raising and lowering drilling mechanism, a ring movable over the provided with means for adjusting said dog to active position, and a member in said jacket which: is vertically movable in one 7 direction to hold the dog in inactive position and movable in reverse direction to release said dog so that the acket may cause said dog to engagethe drill stem.

3, In an'elevator mechanism of the class described, a dog for raising and lowering.

drilling 'iiiechanism, a ring encircling the drill stem and upon which said dog is freely mounted, a jacket enclosing said ring and provided with means for adjusting said dog 'to active position, a member in said jacket which is movable inone direction to hold the dog inactive position and movable in a reverse direction to release said dog, and plunger 'slidably mountedin the jacket and adapted to cause said member to hold the dog, in inactive position. i

4. In an elevator mechanism of the class described, a dog for raising and lowering mounted, a jacket enclosing said ring and" provided With means for adjusting said dog to active position, a member on said jacket whichis movable in one dir ction to hold the dog in inactive position and movable in a reverse direction to release-said dog, and an element adaptedto be adjusted into engagement with the ring and holdsaid member in position to release the dog.

5. An elevator mechanism of the class described consisting of a plunger, means for raising and lowering said plungcr,-a jacket having limited independentmovement upon said plunger, an element having limited inde pendent movement in said jacket, dogs mounted on said element and adapted to be adjusted by said jacket into active position preparatory to raising and lowering drilling mechanism, an adjustable member in the jacket adapted to secure said dogs in inactive position, and a nut adapted to be adjusted in one direction to engage the dog carrying element and hold said adjustable member out of engagement with the dogs, or adjusted in a reverse direction to allow said adjustable member to engage and hold thedogs in in active position. 7 v

6. An elevator mechanism of the class described consisting of dogs for raising and lowering drilling mechanism, a member carrying said dogs and having an opening for passage of the drillstem, a jacketenclosing said dog carrying member and having an openiiigfor passage ofthe drill stem and provided with means for adjusting the dogs to active position preparatory to raising and lowering the drilling mechanism, a member in said jacket which is movable in one direction to hold the dogs in inactive position so with adaptedto cause the last-mentioned member to hold the dogs in inactive position, detents mounted in n said'plunger for engagement l stem so that the latter may be used in rorcing the elevator mechanism downwaml, and a movable head upon said pi i, 'fliljllSlllllg the detents to active f positmns.

7. In an elevator mechan' 1m oi": the class described, a' tubular element connected to a drilling mecl' anism and provided with a collar, a dog tor engag ng said collar to hit the drilling IHGChdIllSHl to the suriace, a

member on which said dog; ismounted, and

a jacket having a beveled portion whicn forces the dog into engagementwith said collar as the elevatormechanism is lifted towards the surface.

8. Inan elevator mechanism oi the class described, a tubular element connected to a drilling mechanism and slidablyi mounted upon the drill stem, a projection at the upper portion of said element, does for su said projection and lowering the milling mechanism into a well, a member for holding said dogs in engagement with the projection during the lowering operation, means on the drilling mechanism for disengaging the dogs from the projection after said drilla ing mechanism reaches the bottom of the well, and means for raising and lowering said member. 7 v V i 9. An elevator mechanism of theclass deso 'ibed consisting of a tubular element connected to a drilling mechanism and provided with upper and lower projections, a jacket free to move vertically upon the drill stem, a member having limited vertical move ment in said jacket, dogs carried by said member and arranged to be held. by the jacket in'enga-gement with the lower projection while lowering the drilling mechanism, which latter disengages said dogs from the projection after reaching the bottom of a well, means carried by the jacket for holdd n dju e mber Wi ieflw jac etfor holdmg sa d means out 0t engagement with the dogs so that the same may be forced by the jacket into engagement. with the upper projection after. the elevator niechanism has been again lowered preparatory raising the drilling mechanism;

10. In an elevator mechanism oi the class describecha dog for raising and lowering drilling mechanism, a member loosely en bracing the drill stem and upon which said dog is mounted, a jacket enclosing said member and provided with means for adjusting said dog to active position, a plunger lodse- 1y embracing the drlllstem and elitel ltllllg nto said acket, detonts mounted upon the plunger for engagement with t-hedrillstem,

and a movable head upon said plunger for ad usting said detents n and out or engagement with the dull stem.

11. In an elevator mechanism of the class described a tubular element; movable lou gitudinally upon a drillstem andprovidcd with a peripheral projection, a plunger movable over the drill stein and adapted to press upon said projection, detents carried by said plunger'and adapted to engage a coupling I upon the'drill stem, and a tubular head slidably mounted upon said. plunger and adapted;

when slid in one direction tolforce the detents into engagement with said coupling and when slid in a reverse direction to disengage the detentsfrom the coupling.

12. In an elevator mecliianism of the class described, a tubular element'movable longitudinally upon a drill stem and provided with aperiphjeral projection, a plunger movable over the drill stem and adapted to'press upon said projection, detents carried by said plunger and adapted to engage coupling upon the drill stem, a head slidable upon said plunger and. adapted to force the detents in or out of engagementwith said coupling, raising and loweringthe same.

In testimony whereof I afilx my signature.

onARL s HEREIN.

and means attached to said head for 

